Parking indicator for automobiles



May 21, l929.- w. A. CLARK v1,714,157

PARKING ZNDICATOR FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed April 9, 1928 Patented May 21, 1929.

WILL a CLARK, or sr. Louis, mssouar.

PARKING INDICATOR FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Application filed April 9, 1928. Serial No. 268,702.

This invention relates to attachments for motor cars, and particularly to devices for indicating the time that a car has been parked so that a police ofiicer may see whether or not the car has been parked an undue length of time.

The general object of the invention is to provide an indicator for this purpose having two dials, one having numerals for the hours and the other numerals for the minutes, these dials being concentric to each other and being independently rotatable so that a driver may, byrotating these dials, indicate the "hour and minute at which parking starts.

Afurther object is to provide a device of this character which is very simple, which may be cheaply made, and which is provided with covering plates which permit only the figures to which the dial is set beingseen from the front of the car.

Other objects have to do with the details of construction and arrangement of parts as will appear more fully hereinafter. Y

My invention is illustrated inthe accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a front elevation of a'parking indicator constructed in accordance with my 7 invention;

Figure 2 is a rear elevation thereof;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is one face view of the dials;

Figure 5 is a reverse face view;

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary section through the dial a-rbors showing the key whereby the dial arbors are operated.

Referring to this drawing, and particularly to Figure 1, it will be seen that the .1 frame of this indicator consists of an annu lar rim 10. This is rabbeted upon its opposite faces to provide a seat'll and a seat 12.

The seat 11 is formed at diametrically opposite points with notches 13. The opposite side faces of the annulus 10 are formed in the same manner.

Adapted to be disposed upon the seat 12 on the outside face of the dial is a circular plate 14, and disposed exterior to this plate 14 is a plate 15 having its upper portion cut away, as at 16, so as to expose the upper portion of the plate 14, this plate 15 being intended for the purpose of carrying the license number of the machine, the date of 5 the license, and the place of issuance of the parent lens or disk 28 which is disposed license as, for instance, the car belongs. The plate 14 is formed with two openings 17 and 18 through which thenumerals on the dials 19 and 20 may be observed.

Su ported at-one end upon the plate 14 1 is a s aft 21 which carries upon it a central dial 20. This dial is recessed upon one face, as at 22, and upon both faces the dial is pro vided with a series of numbers running from O to and indicating the minutes in an hour. Disposed rearward of the dial 20 is the dial 19. This is shown as an outer rim 23 carrying a series of figures from 1 to indicating hours, a central hub 24, and radiating spokes 25. These spokes are very light and thin and extendup past the inner face of the dial 20. This outer dial 19 has its hub mounted upon a tubular shaft or arbor 26 through which the shaft 21 passes. The shaft 26, of course,'forms a bearing for the shaft 21 and the outer end of the shaft 26 is reduced and is rotatably supported upon a rear plate 27.

It is to be particularly noted that the plates 27 and 15 are provided with lugs 27 and 15 which are engageable in the V- shaped recesses 13 in the annulus 10. Disposed exteriorly of the plate 15 is a trans the county in which within the seat 11 and a crystal 29 like a Watch crystal ,is disposed on the opposite seat 11 inward of an outer plate 27 which is of the same general construction as the plate 14 and is apertured in the same manner so that the numerals on the dials may be seen. The plate 27 has a central bearing for the tubular shaft 26. This plate holds the crystal 29 in place, while the crystal 28 may be held by means of a bezel 31, the plate 27 and the bezel being held in place by screws 32. \Vashers of relatively soft material are disposed behind the crystals so as to prevent their being injured by jar or shock. A

While knobs may be used for turning the shafts 21 and 26 independently ;of each other, preferably I provide key-actuated means for this purpose. To this end, the shaft 21 is notched or cleft at its inner end, as at 34, and the hollow shaft 26 has a squared portion 35. A key 36 is used which has a bead formed with a flat portion 37 engageable in the cleft 34 and a s uared portion 38 engageable in the square por- 110 that its squared portion engages the squared )ortion 35 to turn the dial 19. After the key is withdrawn, it is obvious that the dials cannot be moved by anyone not provided witha key.

Preferably the aperture 17 in the plate 14 is elongated downwardly sufliciently to show the letters A or P which are applied upon the dial 20, the letter M being applied to the face of the plate 15. By turning the-dial 20 to a greater or less extent, the letter A or the letter P will be disclosed and thus it will indicate whether the parking is started in the afternoon or in the morning.

Preferably, and in order to hold the dials 19 and 20 in set positions, I form one face of the hub Q-l with a plurality of shallow radial grooves 30 and mount upon plate 27 a resilient detent 30 to engage in any one of these grooves. This resilient detent is of course yieldable to permit the dial to be turned and will then snap into a groove 30", and hold thedialin set position. One face of the central portion 22'of .the dial 20, as shown in Fig. 4, is also formed with radial grooves 3O with which a resilient detent 30, shown in Fig. 3, is adapted to engage. These resilient detents' are simply small springs whose free ends engage in these grooves. The spokes 25, shown in Fig. 5, connecting the dial 19 to its hub 24 may be formed in one piece with the dial and hub, or attached thereto in any suitable manner.

I claim I 1. A parking indicator of the character described including a case having front and rear face plates, these plates having aligning apertures. and concentric rotatable dials mounted within the case,-one of the dials having on both of its faces numerals indicating minutes and another of the dials hav-' ing on both of its faces numerals indicating hours, the dials bein independently rotatable to bring any one of said hour or minute numerals before the respective openings in the face plates.

2. A parking device of the'character described comprising a case including an annular rim. face plates mounted in said rim, each of said face plates having two sectorshaped openings disposed in aligned relation with each other, a central dial, a shaft extending into the case upon which the central dial opposite faces numerals indicating hours,

the inner dial having numerals upon its 0p posite faces indicating minutes.

3. A parking indicator of the character described including a case having front and rear face plates formed with aligning apertures, concentric rotatable dials mounted within the case, one of the dials having on both of its faces numerals indicating minutes and the other of the dials having on both of its faces numerals indicating hours,

concentrlc shafts upon whichthe dials are.

mounted, the outermost dial having spokes engaging the corresponding shaft, the outer shafts being tubular, and a key insertible' through the tubular shaft and into engagement with the other shaft whereby the last named shaft may be rotated independently of the tubular shaft, the key when shifted being adapted to engage the tubular shaftfor rotation but become disengaged from the other shaft.

4. A parking indicator of'the character described, comprising a case having front and rear face plates, the plates having alinmg openings adjacent the periphery of the case, the concentric dials disposed within the case, a hollow shaft supporting one of said dials, a shaft for supporting the other dial and extending into the hollow shaft and being supported thereby, means supportingthe first named dial from the first named shaft but permitting the other dial to be seen, one of said dials having upon its opposite face,

numerals indicating the hours, and other ofv said dials having upon its opposite faces numerals indicating minutes, and means engaged with theends of said shafts whereby the dialsmay be independently rotated.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afl'ix my signature.

WILL A. CLARK. 

